


Out of Time

by WhiteDalvaria



Series: White's Cat!Michael Garbage [2]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Everyone needs a Susie, Jack/Michael-centric in the beginning tbh, Kidnapping, Multi, OC men are minor af, Shoutout to Susie for being a badass lady, and idk if they do office tours or anything, but they do for this fic, cat!Michael, catnapping lmaoooo, i originally wrote this when they were still in the old office, ok, rt hybrid AU, so i had to fix some things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-01
Updated: 2019-06-20
Packaged: 2020-04-05 19:07:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19046557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiteDalvaria/pseuds/WhiteDalvaria
Summary: Michael had kept his 'mutation' a secret for a long time, but he was bound to be found out eventually. He was just hoping that it wouldn't go down like this...





	1. Catnapped!

It had been six months since Michael had revealed his secret to his boyfriends, and in those six months, Michael felt truly content. He still had to hide his extra appendages at work and in social situations, but at home he could finally be himself. When he was having a bad day, he would come home with his ears flat on his head and his tail puffed up and thrashing around. In those times, Jack was one of the only people who could calm him down. The ginger male had learned that Michael had a sensitive spot behind his left ear, and it’d quickly turn Michael’s mood around and he’d let out a contented sigh, which often turned into a soft purr.

It was hard, however, because Michael often wished he could just tell everyone at Rooster Teeth his secret so he could feel freer all the time. He wished he could tell the world so he could let his tail swish freely when he went on walks, or let the cool breeze reach his ears. Though he couldn’t, his boys took extra care to let him be as free as he wanted behind the Achievement Hunter office door – as long as there were no cameras on, and the door was locked.

For Michael, the day had started out shitty.

Michael’s computer and Xbox had crashed ten minutes into a video, causing him to start from the beginning. He and Trevor had been wrestling earlier, and Trevor had accidentally hurt one of his ears. He refused to get mad about it; they fucked around all the time, and Trevor had no idea his ears were there. And throughout the day, Michael had a strange feeling that he was being watched. He had double-checked the cameras in the room to make sure they were off but couldn’t shake off the lingering paranoia.

Returning to his desk, he went to start his work again when he noticed Jack walk into the office. “Where’s everyone else?” he muttered, following Jack over to his desk.

“Ryan and Geoff took Jeremy and Gavin to lunch,” Jack responded with a small smile. “They’ll be back soon.” Jack sat in his chair, motioning for Michael to follow and scratched his head through his hat. “Rough day already?”

“Like you wouldn’t fucking believe,” he whined, nuzzling into Jack’s lap. “Nothing’s working. Computer crashed while I was recording, and my Xbox followed after that.” He left out the lingering feeling of being watched, not wanting make Jack worry. Especially if he was just being paranoid.

After shooting a quick text, Jack chuckled and took Michael’s beanie off. He set the black beanie on his desk before scratching behind Michael’s ears, earning a soft, contented purr. “I spoil you, Michael. And don’t worry; I texted Trevor to let him know not to come in for a while. I said you were taking a nap.”

“You do spoil me…” Michael purred. “I’m certainly not complaining.” He was halfway curled up in Jack’s lap now, perfectly content with the older male’s gentle touch. “Be careful with my ears, yeah? Trevor accidentally bumped one when we were wrestling earlier and they’re sore.”

“I’m glad he didn’t hurt them too bad,” Jack muttered upon inspection of the red fluff. “I can’t even yell at him, because he doesn’t know.”

Michael just nodded, his quiet purring fading as he felt himself doze off. Normally, Jack would’ve said something to keep him awake, but he didn’t have the heart to disturb the redhead as he watched the annoyance in his face smooth out into peacefulness.

Unbeknownst to the pair, there was a lens in the background with a soft, red blinking light.

\--

“Well it’s about time you woke up, sleeping beauty.”

Michael rubbed his eyes as he descended the stairs. “When did we get home?”

“A few hours ago.” Geoff chuckled, signaling for Michael to come closer. “You got super pissed when we tried to wake you, so we just took you home.”

“I don’t remember that,” he admitted, his ears twitching as he drew near.

“I’ve got proof,” Jack stated, showing Michael a light bite mark on his arm. “I shook you to wake you up and you turned around, bit my elbow, and curled back up. You’ve got a few sharp fucking teeth.”

Michael’s ears flattened as he sat on the floor in front of the couch. “Sorry, Jack.”

“You didn’t mean it, and I’m fine.” Jack gave Michael’s ears a quick scratch.

“Are you sure?”

The bearded male nodded. “Are you hungry, Michael? We already ate, but we saved you a plate if you want some.”

The cat hybrid just shook his head, nuzzling into Jack’s leg. “I’ll eat later. I think I want to go for a walk.”

Gavin practically tumbled out of the kitchen, startling the redhead. “Can I go with you? I can be your protector! Please, Michael?”

“Jesus fucking Christ, Gavin!” Michael hissed. Taking a deep breath, he nodded. “Yeah, sure.” He snorted at the delighted squeak from the Brit as he stood, tucking his tail into his jeans and grabbing a beanie from the table. “I’ll be back in a bit, okay?”

Jack nodded. “Be careful. Call if anything happens, okay?”

“Yeah.”

It was a nice night; not too hot, not too many cars on the road, and if he tried hard enough, Michael could see the stars forming in the sky. The only thing disrupting the peace, he noticed, was Gavin’s constant chatter.

“-and don’t the stars look pretty, Michael?”

Michael sighed heavily. “Gavin, you’re fucking annoying, you know that?” He could feel his ear twitch from under his beanie.

“But you love me anyway!” Gavin chirped. “Anyway, I think that-”

Michael felt his blood freeze as he heard something approaching that he couldn’t see. “Gavin, shut up for a second.”

“But Michael, I-”

“Gavin!” Once the Brit quieted down, he listened closely to his surroundings. “Do you hear that?”

Gavin, in an oddly serious manner, tried listening, but appeared confused. “Hear… what?”

Michael shook his head. “I dunno, but I hear something. It almost sounds like-”

“Michael! Look out!”

Before the redhead could react, he felt a pair of strong arms wrap around him, instantly restricting his movement. “What the fuck! Get off me!”

“We know your secret, buddy.” Michael froze as his captor spoke. “Come quietly, and we won’t hurt your little boyfriend over there.”

“Gavin?” He turned his head to see Gavin struggling against someone as well. He couldn’t make out any details of the guy’s face, as he was wearing his hood. “And you promise you won’t hurt him?”

“Promise,” the man sneered.

“Fine.”

Gavin gasped. “Michael! No!”

Michael ignored Gavin’s cries. “I’m sorry, Gav.”

The man holding him nodded to his partner, who unceremoniously dropped the Brit on the ground. “Let’s go.” Michael was led roughly to a truck parked on the side of the road, and the last thing he remembered was Gavin screaming his name.


	2. Start Running

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Geoff, Jack, Ryan, Gavin, and Jeremy start their search for Michael.
> 
> Michael starts searching for where he is.
> 
> All of them realize that the clock is ticking, and that time is of the essence.

_[Austin, TX]_

_“Gavin!”_

Michael crying his name was the last thing Gavin heard before Michael was dragged away. All Gavin could do was sit on the ground and weep as the truck drove away. This wasn’t supposed to happen. This was _his_ fault. Michael could’ve fought back and run if it wasn’t for him. But as he watched the exhaust from the truck fade into the distance, Gavin knew he didn’t have time to dwell on it. He could throw himself a pity party later; he needed to help Michael. He stood as quickly as possible and booked it back to the house, tears partially blinding him.

Immediately upon his return, Gavin threw the door open and ran inside. Ryan stopped to greet him, but the friendly greeting was halted when he saw the state the Brit was in, as well as the absence of Michael. “Gavin, what’s wrong? Where’s-”

“Michael’s gone!” Gavin sobbed, choking on his words. “We got jumped while we were walking and they said something about knowing Michael’s secret and they _took him away,_ Ryan!”

“What?! Michael’s gone?!” Ryan’s eyes were wide with shock, and his surprised yelling attracted the three others, who were sleeping upstairs.

“Who took Michael?” Geoff demanded, barreling downstairs with Jack and Jeremy in tow.

Gavin shook his head, looking at the floor. “I don’t know… I couldn’t see their faces. But they said that they knew Michael’s secret and that they’d hurt me if he didn’t go with them. He told me to shut up because he’d heard something, but I didn’t listen and now he’s gone and if I hadn’t gone with him, he’d be home right now and we’d all be-”

“Gavin, don’t.” Jack put a finger to the Brit’s lips to silence him. “Take a deep breath. You don’t know what would’ve happened if you hadn’t been there. In fact, he could’ve disappeared anyway, and we wouldn’t know until possibly tomorrow morning. There’s not enough time to waste energy blaming yourself for something you couldn’t control.”

“But-”

“Jack’s right, Gavin.” Jeremy walked up to Gavin, nuzzling into his neck. “We’ll get Michael back…”

“Damn right we will.” Geoff’s voice was a low, dangerous growl. “Do you remember which direction they headed in?”

Gavin nodded. “Towards I-35, I think. I don’t know where they’d take him, though…”

Ryan sighed. “I don’t either, but we’ll find out. Do you remember anything else? What they were driving, maybe? Or the color?”

“A black pickup truck. It had a truck cap on it. I don’t know what model it was.”

“That’s okay; anything you remember will help. How about the guys who jumped you? What did they look like?”

“Uh…” Gavin scratched his head in thought. “I didn’t get a very good look, but… The guy that was holding me was kind of big. Really strong. Had Jeremy’s build, but was a bit taller. The other guy was tall and skinny, but strong enough to hold Michael back. They were wearing hooded sweatshirts and it was kind of dark, so I couldn’t make anything else out.”

“Well, that’s a start,” Jeremy reassured. “It’s more than we knew before, right?”

“Right. Come on, boys.” Ryan cracked his knickles. “We’re going to the police station, and then we’re going on a little road trip.”

\--

_[Fort Worth, TX]_

Michael could see moonlight peeking through the windows when he came to, but the truck he was in was stationary, and had been for a while considering the heat that’d built up in the vehicle. He couldn’t move very well; whatever they’d drugged him with to knock him out had been strong, but his thoughts were crystal clear. He looked around as best as he could to take in his surroundings; though he was in the truck, he wasn’t in the cab with his captors. He must’ve been thrown in the back; the window between the cab and the truck cap was open, possibly so his captors could keep an eye on him.

Carefully and quietly, he rolled himself over to look deeper into the cab. One of the guys was asleep, snoring loudly through his nose. He couldn’t find the other one, but with what he could see out of the windshield, they were at a gas station in Fort Worth. At least they weren’t too far from Austin, but he wondered why they were in Fort Worth at all. Were they leaving Texas? Where were they going?

When he heard the door to the truck open, he closed his eyes so the two men wouldn’t realize he was awake. He could feel the stare of the driver burning into his skull but didn’t appear to notice he’d moved. Instead, he listened as the driver tried to wake the passenger.

“Craig. Come on, dumbass, wake up.”

“Huh?” The man – called Craig – snorted as he woke. “Oh, did you get directions, Alex?”

“I wouldn’t have had to if you hadn’t forgotten what fucking direction we were heading in, like a jackass. We leave Texas and head straight for West Virginia. We have a place to hide there, and his stupid boyfriends won’t come looking for him.”

“Right.” Craig snickered. “Who would’ve thought being a ‘trusted community member’ on an office tour would allow us to sneak a camera into their office? And to catch something as rare as a fucking cat hybrid?”

If the two had continued talking after that, Michael’s thoughts drowned it out. _These two… are community members? But why would they do this? And why West Virginia?_ He allowed himself to sneak a glance out the window as the vehicle started up again. _I must find a way out of this, and fast. I must get home._

\--

_[Austin, TX]_

“You’d think the fucking police had never seen an abduction in their lives!” Geoff snapped, storming out of the police station. “Three god damned hours of asking the same questions. ‘Would he run off?’ ‘Was there anyone that had a grudge against him?’ God fucking dammit!”

Ryan, always the voice of reason, placed a comforting hand on Geoff’s shoulder as they piled into the car. “To be fair, all they had was Gavin’s description to go on. He didn’t see a lot. And they have to ask those questions to narrow things down a bit. Let’s just try to calm down and think about this a bit.”

“I’ll calm down when we get Michael home safe…” Geoff let out a hefty, worn-out sigh. “I don’t even know where to start looking. He could be anywhere by now.”

Jeremy pulled out his phone. “I’ll try to track his iPhone. With any luck, they didn’t realize he had it on him.”

“Good idea. In the meantime, let’s search Texas first, and exhaust all the possibilities here.” Jack shrugged. “If we can’t find him here, we’ll think of something else. We want him back too, Geoff.”

Gavin, who hadn’t said much between the house and the police station, finally said “They were headed towards I-35. What if they’re leaving Texas?”

“Let’s just search here first,” Jeremy added. “But… You have a point. What if we’re just wasting time here? What happens when we run out of time?”

Geoff glanced back at them. “We won’t. We’ll get Michael back, I promise.”

Jack sighed as Ryan started the car and drove off. “I sure hope so. Where are we going first?”

“We’re gonna hop onto I-35 and search the towns that border it,” Ryan answered. “Hopefully we find him before its too late…”


	3. You've Gotta be Kitten Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Punpunpun.  
> \--  
> Gavin finds more clues.
> 
> Michael makes some new friends.
> 
> I'm bad at summaries.
> 
> Potato.

_[Unknown Location]_

“How long do you think he’ll be out?”

“I don’t know. The shit we gave him was pretty strong.”

“Do you think we could stop for some food? I’m fucking starving.”

A sigh. “Only if it’ll shut you up until this road trip is over with.”

Michael felt the truck pull to a stop, but he didn’t move until he heard both doors open and shut, and the footsteps fade away. Safely assuming they wouldn’t see him, he poked his head up to look out the window. He didn’t recognize any of his surroundings; while they could’ve crossed state lines in the past few hours, Texas was huge. He had no idea whether he was still in-state or not, and a quick pat of his pockets lead him to believe that his captors either took his phone and are holding it captive or threw it away. The sun had risen fully, signaling that he’d zoned out through the entire night. He was satisfied with the ability to move his limbs again, and his head wasn’t foggy.

Now he just needed to find a way out of this mess.

He took a quick look at the fast food place the two had gone into; no one had come in or out, and he couldn’t spot any movement by the door. Though the decision was made due to panic, Michael crawled over to the tailgate, He couldn’t get to the handle from the inside, but the window of the truck cap had an inside lever. He opened the window and crawled out, shutting it as quietly as he could before taking off in a sprint, not once looking back. He’d been running for only a few minutes when he stopped, sheltering himself in a nearby alley by a dumpster. Every car that passed his hiding spot made him flinch, as he didn’t know when his captors would notice he was missing, or where they would look first. Taking extra precautions, Michael climbed into the dumpster, thankful that it was mostly empty. The dark shell would be the last place his captors would look.

Michael hadn’t realized it before, but now that he’d had a second to slow down, he realized that even though his tail was still neatly tucked away in his jeans, his ears were brushing against the walls of the dumpster. He was grateful that no one had seen him, or if they had, they didn’t care to say anything about it. _The fuckers took my beanie, too…_ He didn’t dare poke his head out yet, fearing being caught, but nearly bolted upright in shock as he heard something shuffle next to him. _Did they fucking see me jump in here?_ But when he heard a soft meow rather than a yell, he took a deep breath. It was just a dumpster-dwelling alley cat.

The feline scratched at the side doors of the dumpster, as if trying to escape. While he wasn’t sure he was totally safe, the cat seemed to be stressing its exit, so he opened the small door, watching the cat jump out. He reached to the door to shut it again, but the tiny black feline appeared to be _waiting_ for him. With a sigh, he threw his hood up over his ears and exited the dumpster.

Upon his exit, he followed the cat deeper into the alley, which was shadowed by several shipping crates and assorted items. Peeking around the boxes, he felt his heart skip a beat when he saw his captors poking their heads into the dumpster where he’d been hiding moments ago.

“Do you think he’d go deeper in?”

“Don’t be stupid; there’s nowhere to hide down there. He wouldn’t corner himself.”

“It was just a suggestion.”

Michael listened to the argument fade as they exited the alley and turned to the little black cat that had saved his ass. “Well, I guess it’s not true that black cats are bad luck, right?” He rubbed the kitten’s head and smiled. “I’m gonna wait for a bit before I move, but it’s time I found my way back home.”

\--

_[Mt. Pleasant, TX]_

Though they’d been searching for the better part of six hours, the boys had still found practically no leads. The police had called them in that time to tell them they’d had no success, which had done nothing to help the sour mood of the five.

Through tracking Michael’s phone, Jeremy had found out that Michael’s kidnappers had moved from I-35 to I-30, which had been the only success they’d had so far. But the phone stopped moving after that; either Michael’s phone had died, or they’d abandoned it. It was the only lead they had to work with, so Ryan merged onto I-30, heading towards the state lines.

Gavin hadn’t done anything but blame himself since they’d left Austin. Jeremy had tried to talk Gavin down, but had eventually resorted to comforting back rubs and the occasional sympathetic glance. Jack and Geoff had taken turns calling Michael’s phone in the beginning but had given up when Jeremy said the phone was stationary. Ryan had stayed silent, driving along the oddly quiet interstate with his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.

The first noise they’d heard from Gavin in over three hours was an audible gasp as he glanced at Jeremy’s phone. Find My iPhone was still up, but Jeremy had rested the phone in the seat next to him an hour ago.

“What’s wrong, Gavin?” Geoff inquired.

“I glanced at Jeremy’s phone for a moment, and we passed the spot where Michael’s phone stopped,” he replied. “His phone was back there.”

“What, really?” Ryan pulled onto the side of the road, glancing back at the Brit. “You sure?”

“Well, not really, but we have to check.” Gavin looked determined as he grabbed Jeremy’s phone and flung the car door open, ignoring the protests to wait. They hadn’t driven too far past the blinking blue dot on the screen, and Gavin squeaked as he drew closer. He was hoping that Michael wasn’t in a ditch.

Gavin was both disappointed and relieved when he spotted Michael’s beanie where the blue dot was. He picked up the tuft of black cloth, feeling the iPhone inside the hat. He didn’t bother turning around when he heard footsteps behind him. “They put Michael’s phone in his beanie and tossed it out here.”

Geoff took the device from Gavin, inspecting it. There was no blood on the phone, which he chose to take as a good sign. Michael was likely still okay. “This is a huge help, Gavin.”

The Brit turned to face him. “It is?”

“We now know for sure they headed this way, and they still have Michael. If we keep going, we could find him.” He smiled at the Brit. “Good eye, Gavin. Let’s get back in the car. If we keep at it like this, we’ll have Michael back in no time at all.”

“I hope so…” Gavin followed Geoff back to the car, clutching Michael’s dirty beanie to his chest. “I just hope it’s not too late.”

\--

_[Unknown Location]_

Michael felt unsafe as he walked through the streets but knew he couldn’t stay hidden in the alleyway if he wanted to get home. The black cat he’d met was still following him, as if it’d chosen to protect the redhead. He’d attracted an orange tabby and a gray British shorthair along the way; what a sight he’d be to Gavin and the others. Though he’d normally shoo the cats away, he felt safer with the company.

Michael was lost in thought and was only broken free of his trance when he ran into someone full throttle. “Oh, I’m sorry-”

“ _You_!”

The redhead felt his blood freeze. He’d run right into one of his captors – Craig, if he remembered properly. “I’m just… gonna…”

Craig reached out to grab him but narrowly missed. “Alex, I found him!”

Before the other could catch up, Michael sprinted down the sidewalk, thanking whatever gods existed for his faster-than-average running speed.

“Get back here!”

“You won’t get away again!”

Michael pretended not to hear them as he ran down the road but forced himself to stop when he heard a cry of distress from one of the men. It was then he realized that two of the three cats that’d been following him had stayed behind, attacking his captors while letting him escape. The black cat was still firmly planted at his side.

 _Thank you…_ He knew the two cats would be okay and took off again, the black cat following him. He had no idea if his captors had seen him take off again, but he wasn’t about to find out the hard way. The black cat led him down another alleyway, thankfully in a more populated area; somewhere the two idiots wouldn’t think to look. He sat down against the wall, blocking himself from view with a shipping crate and looking down at the black cat. “You know, little buddy…” Michael picked the cat up and put it on his lap.  “If we both make it out of this, I’ll take you home with me… The boys would love you.”

With a yawn, Michael closed his eyes as he leaned on the shipping crate. He knew he needed to find out where he was but decided to wait a bit before he ventured out again. The cat had crawled off his lap and jumped on top of the crate, as if keeping watch. Though the situation was scary, he somehow felt as if he was okay.

He’d find his boys, and he’d make it home.


	4. The Purrfect Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael gets help from an unexpected source, especially as things take a turn for the worst.
> 
> The boys are so close; Michael is within their sights.
> 
> Aka this chapter's a mess but I didn't know what else to do with it so yeah.
> 
> Bonus chapter coming soon! It'll just be an epilogue, but maybe it'll help end things better. I didn't want to shove it all in one chapter.

_[Unknown Location]_

“God fucking dammit, I wish I had my phone.” Michael crossed his arms across his chest as he walked down the road, looking for any indication of where he was. He thought about going into one of the stores he could see along the way, the only thing stopping him being his hooded head. Most stores required the removal of hoods before they entered, and he wasn’t willing to let anyone find his secret out.

The black cat meowed beside him, and he smiled down at the feline. Even though he was lost and terrified, the cat had been a constant since he arrived in this mystery town. He bent down and picked the cat up, letting the creature nuzzle into his face. “I need to call you something. I can’t keep calling you ‘the cat’.” Michael patted the cat’s head. “Hm… Ganon. The guys’ll make fun of me later, but I’ll accept that.”

Michael set Ganon down and looked at his surroundings again. He thankfully couldn’t see his captors or their truck, but his eyes widened at a device hanging off a storefront. “Is that… a payphone?!” He was shocked; payphones barely existed anymore. What a stroke of luck! He patted his pockets and frowned. He didn’t have any money. Which left him with one choice.

Make up a sob story to get someone to loan him some money.

\--

_[Texarkana, AK]_

“We’ve been at it for hours,” Jeremy pointed out. “How do you know we’re going the right way?”

“I don’t,” Ryan admitted. “But we found Michael’s phone on I-30, and I feel like we should stay on it. It’s the only lead we’ve had so far.”

Gavin leaned against Jeremy and sighed. “I wonder what he’s doing right now. I hope he’s okay.”

Jack reached over to Gavin and patted his head. “This is Michael we’re talking about. I’m sure he’s already escaped. He’s a tough guy.”

“I wish he had his fuckin’ phone on him,” Geoff muttered. “But I’m sure that’s what those assholes wanted; make it harder for us to find him.”

“Well the good news is, Michael’s really good at remembering phone numbers,” Jack pointed out. “So if he doesn’t snap at everyone within a five mile radius and plays nice, he might be able to get his hands on a phone or borrow a store phone.”

Ryan hummed in acknowledgement. “He’s gonna be on-edge; we have his beanie. He’s likely still wearing his hoodie, but he has something to hide. We need to get to him before his secret is out.”

“Let’s just hope he contacts us soon.”

\--

_[Homan, AK]_

Michael tugged on his hood pathetically as he looked at the stranger in front of him. “Well, you see, I got on a train from West Virginia and I was heading towards Texas. I had to wait for a changeover and while I was waiting, I fell asleep and missed the train.”

The female – an older woman, perhaps around 40 or so – raised an eyebrow. “Why didn’t you just wait for another train?”

“I was going to, ma’am, but when I looked for my phone and my boarding pass, they were gone, along with my wallet and my backpack. I reported it to the station, but I need to call my boss and have him come get me. Do you have some change I can borrow for the pay phone?”

Though she seemed skeptical, her face soon morphed into pity. “I can’t just leave you stranded out here, now can I?” Sifting through her purse, she handed Michael a handful of quarters. “I hope your boss can come get you, sweetheart.”

“Thank you so much, ma’am.” He smiled at her. “One more favor; can you tell me what city this I so I can tell my boss where to go?”

“You’re in Homan, Arkansas, sweetheart.” She waved at him. “Good luck!”

When she walked away, Michael grinned at Ganon. “The Jones charm works every time.” But the location had unnerved him some. _Arkansas? We didn’t make it as far as I thought…_ He chose not to voice his complaints, however, and navigated back to the pay phone. Before he could make it over to the phone, he froze. Staring right at him, in plain sight, were Craig and Alex. “Fuck.”

“You!” Craig pointed at him. “Do you know how much fucking trouble we’ve gone through just to find you?!”

Michael took a step back. “Get away from me!”

“Your stupid cats aren’t here to help you this time.” Alex took a step closer. “Now let’s not make a scene, okay? Come with us, Michael.”

His heart pounded, blood rushing in his ears. He was _so close_ this time! He should’ve known that it’d seemed too easy. Michael wasn’t sure what to do now – Alex was right; he didn’t want to make a scene. But he didn’t want to go back, he just wanted to go home and pretend this all never happened. _Think, Michael. Think!_

“Sweetheart, there you are!”

Michael could’ve kissed the woman that helped him earlier; though she didn’t know him at all, she must’ve noticed the tense situation. “Yeah, sorry I wandered off.”

She ‘tsk’d at him. “You should at least tell me where you’re going next time. Making your poor Auntie worry like that.”

_Bless whatever fucking gods exist for this lady._ Michael glanced at Alex and Craig, who had backed off with the appearance of the woman. “I’m sorry. Let’s go back, yeah?” Waving his hand at Ganon to get him to follow, he let the woman lead the way as they entered a small corner store. “Why did you do that? You don’t even know me.”

“You looked frightened, child.” She smiled at him. “I’d do it for anyone. What’s your name?”

“Michael.”

“Michael, huh? I have a son named Michael. He’s older than you, I bet. My name is Susie. What are you really doing in Arkansas?”

Michael was taken aback by the question. “I, uh…”

“Never mind, you. You don’t have to tell me. Why don’t you use my phone and wait here for your boss? I’m assuming you haven’t called him yet, right?”

Michael shook his head. “No, I haven’t. Thank you.” He took the device from her, but looked down. Ganon had hidden himself behind Michael’s legs. “I… Can’t thank you enough for helping me.”

“Don’t worry about it; like I said, I’d do it for anyone.”

The redhead said nothing, instead pressing a few buttons before holding the phone to his ear. Hopefully, someone would pick up.

\--

_[I-30, AK]_

“Where are we, Ryan?”

“Still on I-30, Gavin,” he answered patiently. “We entered Arkansas a while back.”

“Arkansas?” Jeremy’s eyes were wide. “Do you really think he’d be here?”

Geoff turned to answer but was interrupted by his phone ringing. He raised an eyebrow at the number on the screen. “Who the hell…?”

Gavin bounced around excitedly. “Answer it! It could be Michael!”

“Shut up; I was going to.” Geoff shushed the boys in the car before hitting the answer button. “Hello, this is Geoff.” A moment passed, before Geoff raised a hand to his face. “Michael? Is that you? Thank fuck you’re safe…”

Jack took a deep breath. “Ask him where he is.”

“I can’t believe Michael’s okay…” Gavin felt tears well up in his eyes. “I’m relieved.”

“Shh! I can barely hear him!” The eldest listened again. “Ryan, he’s in Homan. How far is that?”

Ryan shrugged. “Jeremy, GPS that.”

While Jeremy gave Ryan directions, Geoff tuned back into Michael. “Stay right where you are; we’ll be there as soon as possible. Say thank-you to the lady who helped you from all of us, okay? We love you.”

When Geoff hung up the phone, Gavin nearly screamed in happiness. “Michael’s okay!”

Jack laughed. “Yeah, Gavin. Michael’s okay. And we’re on our way to get him. Don’t worry. We’ll be together soon.”

“And I _hope_ we run into the assholes who took him away.” Geoff’s face was dark. “They’ll pay for what they’ve done.”

\--

_[Homan, AK]_

Michael and Susie had parted minutes prior, but Michael had followed the older woman’s advice and stayed in the corner store. The cashier had said something to him about loitering, but thanks to the money he’d gotten from Susie, he was able to purchase a small beverage and remain where he was. It didn’t appear that the cashier gave two shits about the cat, which was nice; Michael wasn’t really a cat person, but Ganon had grown on him. He just hoped the guys would like him.

The redhead exited the store a few moments later, wanting to remain in sight so the guys would see him. He didn’t dare venture too far but wasn’t sure where they’d look first. He needed to remain in the open.

He heard a hiss from his feet but before he could investigate, he felt a hand wrap around his face and someone dragging him backward. _Fuck fuck fuck fuck!_ He tried to scream, but the sound was muffled. No one would’ve heard it.

“You thought you got lucky with that lady saving the day, didn’t you?” Craig growled in his ear. “You’re going to regret making this so hard for us.”

Thinking on his feet, Michael licked Craig’s hand, so he’d let go of his face. While he got the desired effect, he also received a punch to the back of his head for his actions. “You’re fucking gross!”

Michael stepped back so his back was against a brick wall. “What the fuck do you even want with me?!”

“You’ll get us rich, idiot.” It was Alex who answered. “You’re the first of your kind, that we know of. What scientist wouldn’t pay a pretty penny for specimen like you? Or a government agent…”

“Do you guys even care about what that’d do to me? To my family? My friends?!”

Alex shrugged. “Nope, and don’t care either. Freaks like you deserve the worst lives possible.”

Alex’s words had triggered something in Michael’s brain, and he snapped, his vision going red. With all of the fight he had left, he shoved away from Craig and charged at Alex, shoving him into the wall as hard as he could. With Alex dazed and Craig bending down to help him, Michael sprinted down the road. He didn’t bother looking back, didn’t care that his hood was threatening to blow off his head, just needed to keep running.

He could hear the two shouting for him, finally giving chase. Michael’s heart was pumping faster than he thought it could; the only thing that kept him grounded was the familiar furball running with him. He was almost free. So close. He glanced at the road. Traffic was constant, but if he could somehow cross to the other side… it’d be more difficult for Alex and Craig to catch up.

Michael had made his decision. Scooping Ganon into his arms, he glanced back for only a moment before sprinting into traffic. The action earned him angry shouts of incoming traffic, but other than being frightened by the car horns, he’d been virtually unscathed. Victory was nearing; the sidewalk in his sight. But the car in the far lane was coming closer and closer…

The redhead prepared for impact, but all he heard was the squealing of rubber on asphalt. _What…_ Michael looked up and felt his heart jump into his throat. “Geoff!”

“Michael!” In half a second, the boys in the car had exited and immediately ran up to Michael. “You’re okay!”

“And you made a friend!” Jeremy pointed to Ganon.

“Yeah, he’s been with me since I got here.” Michael was overwhelmed with happiness but seeing Alex and Craig across the road reminded him that he wasn’t out of the woods yet. “Look, I’d love to catch up, but we need to go. Now!”

“Do you see them, Michael?” Geoff’s voice was low. “The guys who took you?” The elder followed Michael’s gaze to the two men, who now looked frightened rather than angry. Geoff started towards them, but Michael grabbed his sleeve. “Michael, what are you doing?”

“Don’t…” He shook his head. “Let’s just go. I know what they look like now; they wouldn’t risk getting arrested.”

Geoff’s eyes were ablaze. “But Michael-”

“We can report them when we get back to Texas! But right now, I just… I want to go home.”

“Okay, Michael.” Geoff sent a scathing glare across the street, but Alex and Craig had already retreated. “Let’s go home.”


	5. Furever Loved [Epilogue]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm so sorry it took me so long to post less than a thousand words - I'd honestly forgotten I hadn't posted it yet.
> 
> I'll probably do more in this universe - if you want something before I post it, feel free to ask!
> 
> Thank you for reading! I love you! -WD

It had taken some convincing for Michael to go to the police once he got back to Texas. He wasn’t sure what he’d say – all he knew were Alex and Craig’s first names and what they looked like – but it turned out that they were wanted for unrelated crimes. The fact that Michael escaped virtually unharmed was a blessing.

It hadn’t taken any time at all for Michael to convince the guys to let him keep Ganon. The tiny black cat had won everyone’s hearts the moment he said he wanted to keep him – and where Michael didn’t like cats, they knew he’d meant it.

Most of all, Michael was tired of the secrecy. Hiding behind beanies, never being comfortable when it was hot outside… So, he planned a reveal during an Extra Life livestream.

“I can’t hide anymore,” he’d said. “I don’t care what anyone thinks, but… It’s too much to keep secret any longer.” And, with anxiety spiking through the roof, he’d removed his beanie. “I’m part cat, guys.” He’d almost fainted with relief when he saw mostly positive livestream comments, and he laughed loudly when the reveal had gained them several thousand dollars in donations. While he wasn’t sure what the reveal would bring him, he was glad it was out. Word would spread, and he was sure he’d be called a freak, but he was free.

And the feeling, Michael had decided, was enlightening.


End file.
